Key holder



NOV. 21, 1950 1 DE CESARls 2,531,325

KEY HOLDER Filed March 20, 1947 v IN V EN TOR. fit a ex 7k De fesarz s add/Maid ATTORNEYS- Patented Nov. 21, 1950 KEY HOLDER Frederick De Cesaris, Johnston, R. 1., assignor to James Manufacturing 00., Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application March 20, 1947, Serial No. 735,840

1 Claim.

This invention relates to akey holder such as I oted on a pin and continual movement of the latch or part about the pin will cause wear. Further, the assembly of a pivot usually requires the riveting over of this pin in order to hold it in position, thus multiplying assembly operations.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a key holder which will have no pivot pin upon which the movable part is mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a very rigid key holder which may be formed from rigid stock without the necessity of bending any of the parts which go to form the main part of a key holder.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder so constructed that the key cannot be removed from the holder by pressure of the key along the inside surface of the loop upon which it is mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder which will be of attractive appearance.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating the key holder with a key mounted thereon and showing the same in dotted lines to indicate the entrance of the key into the holder or the position which the key would take in being positioned on the holder;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the key holder of Fig. l with the key omitted;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a part of the shell of the holder removed;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view illustrating the various parts which go to form the assembled holder as in spaced relation but in generally the relative positions which the same will assume;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the key in section and also illustrating a position in a movement of the key from the holder.

In proceeding with this invention, I cut from sheet stock of a fairly heavy gauge a frame which will have a curved shank upon which the key may be assembled by threading the free end of the shank through the hole in the key. This free end may be contacted by a latch which instead of being pivoted on a pin is rockable in a curved recess to receive the curved part of the latch. A recess is also provided for the reception of a spring to move the latch into position against the free end of the shank and a shell of thin sheet stock is formed to extend over either side of the frame and block the removal of the latch or the spring. Any convenient means may be utilized to hold this shell in position, such as for instance, a rivet.

With reference to the drawings, the frame is designated generally it! and is shown in perspective in Fig. l. It consists of a relatively rigid, heavy gauge piece of material cut out in the form there shown, the essential parts of which are the shank it having a free end l2 to pass through an opening !3 in the head [4 of a key designated generally l5 so as to locate the same thereon. At a point spaced from this free end l2, a generally circular recess 16 is provided in which the circular head ll of the latch l 8 is located with the end portion E8 of this latch extending, as shown in Fig. 3, into contact with the end !2 of the shank. Suitable mating surfaces 20 on the latch end and 28 on the shank are provided that a good joint will be formed. In order that the latch may be moved into engagement with the end of the shank, I provide a recess 22 formed by cutting out a portion of the frame to receive the spring 23 which when positioned in this recess has one end abutting one end of the recess as at 26 and pressing against an abutment surface 25 of the latch so as to force it in a direction to cause the surfaces 20 and 2! to engage. The latch is substantially the same thickness as the stock of the frame so that when positioned, as shown in Fig. 3, its sides Will lie substantially flush with the sides of the frame II]. The spring 23 is also of such a diameter as to lie within the opposite planes of the surfaces of the frame iii. A suspending loop 26 is provided on the upper end of the frame, while a cut-out 21 may be provided for lightening the weight of the frame.

In order to retain the latch in its assembled position in the frame and also the spring in its assembled position both in their recesses, a U- shaped shell 28, shown in Fig. 4 as having opposite walls 29, is formed by folding piece of sheet stock to provide a bridging end 30 with a recess or opening 3|. The shape of this shell is such. as to conform to the outer edges of the frame, and this shell is slipped over the frame so that the suspending loop 26 extends through the opening 3| and side walls 29 are along the front and back surfaces of the frame. Any suitable means may be utilized for holding this shell in position; one convenient means being the provision of a hole 32 through the frame and re istering holes 33 through the walls 29 with a pin 34 passing through these registering openings and having a head 35 on one end, and the pin will be upset as at 36 on the other end so as to prevent its removal from position.

The shape of the latch will be such that the end surface 31 (see particularly Fig. 3) will be an inward extension of the inner surface 38 of the shank so that there is no room between the end of the shank and the latch for engagement by a key to pry the latch inwardly; it being necessary for the movement of the latch that pressure be applied on the outer surface 40 which is accessible from the outside of the holder inwardly toward the center of the loop formed by the shank ll. Thus, in positioning a key into a position so that its opening 13 will pass over the shank, this key must be forced against the outer surface 40 of the latch inwardly toward the center of the loop until its opening I3, as shown in Fig.1, registers with the end l2 of the shank 20 so that the shank may be passed through this opening. In order that the key may be removed from the holder, it is passed up to a position similar to that shown in Fig. 1 and then the key is moved inwardly in the direction of the arrow 4 l such as shown in Fig. 5, so that the portion 42 of the key will be moved from the shank [2, also by a movement inwardly, in order to remove it from the holder. This action is very simply 4 accomplished by a twist of the key in the hand and holding the holder along the shell thereof in the other hand. It will also be readily apparent that the loop 26 may be attached to a chain for suspending the key holder therefrom when desired.

I claim:

A key holder comprising, a relatively rigid frame having a, curved shank with a free end to be passed through an opening in a key for positioning the same thereon, said frame having a recess in a portion spaced from said free end formed by a wall on the arc of a circle and of an extent greater than half of a circle, and a latch having a head of a shape corresponding to the shape of the recess rockable in said recess to move to and from engagement with said free end, resilient means urging said latch against said free end but compressible to permit said latch to be swung away from said free end, and a cap having walls fitted over said frame and covering said recess and head and resilient means to retain said parts in assembled position.

FREDERICK DE CESARIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

